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RE: Philosophy 101, #14: What is Modernism and how does it contrast with Pre-modernism?
Really nice explanation of the modern, has made me visualise it much better. I'm not sure we have got to happiness, material wealth is not enough and now it seems people's freedom and reason is being curtailed by media/power interests. Health has definitely improved, but now I think we are at end of an age, where spirituality is coming back because philosophy and science has not managed to answer the purpose of living, seems more to it than just material comfort.
That is a very interesting observation. I believe that people's freedom and reason are being curtailed, mostly as a process of Postmodernism (the era after Modernism). In my next post, I will write more about his.
That's what I find interesting as well. Part of Nietzsche's critique of Modernism is that Reason and Science alone will not give us a purpose of living. It would lead to the "Death of God" - due to Reason people will find religion unbelievable. How should we deal with this, now that God does not give us a reason for living anymore? Nietzsche predicts an era of nihilism. This is an era in which people feel purposeless, and have no personal values. Instead, people will look for comfort in the herd, have no will power, and fool themselves in believing that their lives are magnificent. He calls these type of people "the Last Man". Nietzsche advises us to live the way of "the Overman" (Übermensch) to create our own values and purpose in life.
You've got Nietzche exactly right here as far as I understand him. The problem is, as far as I can see, is that corporate neoliberalism has installed oligopolies which look entirely like pre-modern feudalism.
And again, Nietzsche couldn't have imagined the scale of the problems facing us by mid-century; the least of which is a replacement energy source for oil--one which can scale present capitalist societies--that is presently nowhere in sight.....
I think it's clear, though, what replaced God: the monetization of everything which I argue is a very bad Idea...
I agree, never had this in school and to get such a nice wrap up is amazing!